If “true friends” what to end polarization in Georgia, EU should give us candidate status – PM

Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said if the country’s “true friends” really wished to see the completion of political polarization in Georgia, then the European Union should give Tbilisi its membership candidate status by the end of this year. 

 

In his press comments the PM claimed the country would have all 12 conditions outlined by the bloc last year for granting its membership candidate status to Georgia, fulfilled by the end of this month. 

 

“The opposition, this destructive, bankrupt opposition, has not had any participation in these working groups that we have created to meet the conditions”, Garibashvili said. 

 

In his comments the official also accused the currently imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili of paying “one million dollars” for lobbying for his interests to get “illegally released” and “damage the country’s image” in the process through “fake claims” on ill-treatement and torture. 

 

“The European Court of Human Rights’ rejecting [Saakashvili’s motion in May] on his transfer abroad on treatment, confirmed his claims were unfounded”, Garibashvili said. 

 

He also noted the currently wanted former defence minister David Kezerashvili had been engaged in defrauding European pensioners, citing the BBC report in April on a large-scale scam scheme involving Kezerashvili, and was using the funds to finance “destructive opposition and their media outlets”. 

 

In comments on his meeting with the German Chancellor on Friday, Garibashvili claimed it would be an “interesting and meaningful discussion” saying Olaf Scholz had been an “open supporter of Georgia”.